8 Blue-Collar Kitties with Real-Life Jobs January 23 2017, 0 Comments

Work hard. Play hard. Nap hard.

﻿These hardworking felines can really get down to business.

Meet Stationmasters Tama and Nitama. Stationmaster Tama was first brought to the Kishi Station in Wakayama, Japan, in an effort to turn the failing station around. Tama’s affable, yet commanding presence (and her adorable uniform) worked like a charm and has since made the station a popular draw for tourists.

Honorable Eternal Stationmaster Tama.

Tama sadly passed away in 2015, and was posthumously given the title of “Honorable Eternal Stationmaster.” After a Shinto-style funeral, attended by thousands of fans, Tama was succeeded by her paw-sonally trained deputy (and recent graduate of Cat Stationmaster Training School), Nitama.

Stationmaster Nitama.

Sailor and Skipper, Savvy Sailors. “All paws on deck! And Gopher, fetch your kitty captain some of my good catnip from the safe.”

All right, so this isn’t an episode of “The Love Boat” where Goph somehow thinks Captain Stubing has been replaced by a talking cat in uniform. But these cruising kitties are definitely bringing the love to this boat.

These four-legged Russian crewmembers diligently keep watch over their ship as they cruise between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Sailor, the Persian cat, first became part of the crew in 2008. He is a constant companion to the ship’s captain, Vladimir Kotin, helping him keep watch in the captain’s bridge on long nights.

Fritz and Nutmeg, Warehouse Warriors. According to the StarTribune, two feral cats got a second chance at life as “warehouse warriors,” earning their keep at Ramy Turf Products by patrolling the grounds and eliminating its mouse problem. While both cats are feral, Fritz has become a sociable, integral part of the crew who brightens up the workers’ day.

RENEE JONES SCHNEIDER, STAR TRIBUNE

Fritz and Nutmeg were adopted as part of the “working cat” program of the Animal Humane Society, a program that pairs feral cats with businesses looking for alternative pest control free of traps and poison.

Officer Lemon, Kyoto’s first Police Cat. Meet officer Lemon: a former stray from the streets of Kyoto. Lemon now patrols those same streets she grew up on as an honorary member of the Kyoto Police Force! Lemon is an important part of the station, donning her outfit with an air of authority that leaves everyone smiling. When she’s not busy hunting for those jailbirds, she’s out on calls with her fellow officers to help comfort scared victims.

Who needs Batman when you’ve got the long paw of the law? Lemon is the hero we deserve and the hero we need. She's even got the outfit.

Stubbs, Mayor of the People, for the People, by the People. Given the title of honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, in July of 1997, Stubbs is truly a blue-collar kitty. Born on the streets, he nosed his way into politics and rose to the top of this Alaskan town. I was going to make a joke about “catty” office politics, but he’s probably heard them all before.

Still Talkeetna’s unopposed mayor in 2016, Mayor Stubbs seems to have a higher-ranking role in mind: POTUS. He’s already laying the groundwork for a campaign with the byline “He has nine lives, but you only have one. Vote #stubbs2016" on Twitter.